Container and method of making the same



CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME F iled Aug. 17, 1957 INVENTOR. BY V1041.

f; flaw com A TTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1942 CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME George Arlington Moore, to Humoco Corporatio notation of Delaware Louisville, Ky., assignor n, Louisville, Ky., a cor- Application August 17, 1937, Serial No. 159,505 (Cl. 229-55) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to containers and more particularly to containers including fibrous materials and methods of making said containers.

It has been heretofore proposed to impregnate the surfaces of the materials from which containers are constructed with parafiin or like material to render the same moisture-repellent, but in prior containers of this character the paraiiin may prevent the provision of dependable adhesively Joined scams or joints and moisture is absorbed either from the contents of the container or from the atmosphere outside of the container by the raw edges of the fibrous material and is absorbed or wicked in or out of said material. It has also been proposed to'coat the surface of the material with moisture-proof lacquers and the like which may also serve as adhesives, but even this has not obviated the absorption and wicking of moisture through the raw edges of the fibrous component of the container. Moisture is thus carried to or away from the contents of the container, thereby varying the desired percentage of moisture therein.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel container or package comprising fibrous materials which is so constructed as to be impervious to the entrance or escape of air and moisture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making containers including fibrous materials and having moisture-proof qualities.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel method for making containers having heat-sealed seams or joints which may be carried out without defacing the surface of the container by the application of heat.

A further object is to provide a novel method and means for treating the raw edges of fibrous or like materials to render the same moisturerepellent. I x

A still further object is to provide a novel container and method of making the same which may be made and carried out, respectively, with ease and rapidity at low cost.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.- It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose or illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had primarily for this latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views Fig. 1 is an isometric view, partly in section and with parts broken away, illustrating means for carrying out one of the novel steps of the method for making one form of container comprehended by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic, isometric view, partly in section and with parts broken away, illustrating additional means for carrying out novel steps in the method of the invention; and,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section and with parts broken away, showing the end closure 'seam of a second form of container embodying the present invention.

In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawing, a container suitable for packaging cigarettes is shown, by way of example, but it will be understood that various other embodiments thereof may be provided for packaging tobacco in other forms and many other varieties of products, particularly those products which are hygroscopic in nature. The form of container shown is impervious to air and moisture, the same being constituted by a novelly treated, laminated blank l0 comprising a layer of fibrous material H and a layer of metallic foil I! or other non-hygroscopic material, said fibrous and foil layers being preferably secured together throughout their entire areas by means of a suitable adhesive. The foil lamina may constitute either the inner surface of the container, as seen in Fig. 2, or the outer surface thereof, as seen in Fig. 4. Preferably, the marginal portion of the inner surface of blank I0 adjacent at least three edges thereof is coated with a thin dry'film of thermoplastic, moisture-proof lacquer having potential adhesive properties, such as Du Pont Lacquer No. 606 or 543, for example, said lacquer serving to seal the seams or joints of the container, as will hereinafter appear. If desired, the entire inner and outer surfaces of the container, or either of said surfaces, maybe coated with said lacquer to improve the moisture-proof qualities of the container. A coating of high gloss lacquer capable of taking printing ink or overcast may be provided on the outer surface of the ll container in lieu of said thermoplastic lacquer,

if desired, to improve the appearance thereof, and any suitable designs or advertising matter may be printed thereon.

In order to prevent the absorption and consequent wicking of moisture into and out of the container through the fibrous lamina. it via the raw edges thereof, which cannot be'satisfactorily coated with lacquer, blank H] from which the container is made has all of its edges impregnated. with parafiin or similar moisture-repellent materials, as shown at M, M, in the embodiment of Fig. 2, and at l5, I5, in the embodiment of Fig. 4. Two opposed ends of the blank are overlapped and heat-sealed 'to provide a longitudinal scam l6 and thus form a tubular body, the engaging surfaces of said overlapping ends being substantially welded together at W (Fig. 2) by the thermoplastic lacquer coating referred to above. When the tubular body has been thus formed, the open ends thereof are preferably closed and sealed by pressing opposed halves of the inner surface of the marginal portions of said body into engagement and heat-sealing said surfaces together, as at 3 (Fig. 4), by the application of heat and pressure, the thermoplastic lacquer coating on the inner surface of the blank serving as a binding or sealing medium. Tab I9 formed in this manner at each end of the container may be folded down against the body portion of the latter in any desired manner.

A novel method is provided whereby the edges of blank It) may be wax-impregnated and the above-described container formed rapidly and at low cost. In practicing said method, the fibrous and foil laminations are adhesively secured to each other throughout their areas by a suitable adhesive, an elastic or latex adhesive, and supplied in the'form of a long strip 20 on a reel or roll 2| with the desired lacquer coatings and printed matter thereon. The strip of laminated stock passes from said roll over a guide roller 22 and, thence, between a pair of vertically extending pads 23 of felt or other suitable absorbent material, the raw edges of said strip engaging the adjacent faces of said pads. The lower ends of the latter are immersed in a bath 2d of melted parafiin, wax, or similar moisture-repellent substance, in a container 25. In effect, pads 23, 23 constitute wicks which continuously absorb the melted parafiin 24 and deposit the same on the raw edges of strip 20. The paraflin bath M is maintained in a molten or melted state by any suitable means, such as an electrical heater 25 of any suitable construction. Strip 20 is moved longitudinally-between pads 23, 23, either continuously or intermittently, by a pair of drive or feed rollers 21 and 28 which are rotated in opposite directions by suitable power means (not shown) and are .frictionally engaged by said strip in the manner clearly snown in Fig. 3. Suitable braking or retarding means may be provided for yieldingly resisting rotation of reel 2! in order that strip 2!) may be maintained taut between rollers 22 and Z'l.

After passing over roller 28, some slack is permitted in strip 20 to provide a slack loop, and the strip is then led over a drive or measuring roller 29, the periphery of which is preferably twice as long as each of the blanks l and has diametrically disposed pairs of pins or lugs 30 and 3| projecting radially therefrom at the edges thereof. Lugs 30, 3| engage openings or holes means whereby any slippage of strip 20 on friction rollers 21 and 28 is compensated for and the strip delivered to a suitable cutting means, to be next described, so as to be severed along predetermined lines extending laterally of said strip. Any desired printing matter, such as designs or advertising matter, may accordingly be impressed on strip 20 with perfect assurance that, when the strip is out into blanks, each of the latter will be of the proper length and contain the desired printed matter properly positioned thereon- Strip Zll is next cut into blanks of suitable lengths and one or both of the severed edges of each blank is impregnated with paraffin in a novel manner either simultaneously with the cutting operation or during the subsequent steps in making the container, as will hereinafter appear. Preferably, as strip 20 leaves roller 29, it passes downwardly through a pair of guide members 33 and 34,,the former of which is provided with a hard metal insert 35. The other guide member, in the form shown, constitutes one wall of a container 36, in which a quantity of paraffin 3! is maintained in a melted or liquid state by an electric heating element 38. Extending into con tainer 36 in contact with the melted paraffin and projecting through a slot in the bottom of said container is a pad 39 of felt or other suitable absorbent material, the length of saidpad being equal to or greater than the width of strip 20. The lower somewhat enlarged surface of pad 39 is slidably engaged by the upper surface of a reciprocating knife 40, the cutting edge of which cooperates with plate to cut strip 20 into blanks M of the proper length.

Knife 40 may be reciprocated in synchronism with the rotation of measuring roller 29 by some suitable power means (not shown), the stroke of said knife preferably being such that the cutting edge thereof will be withdrawn from strip 20 to a line between the corners or edges of the lower surface of pad 39. Thus, during the move- 32 provided in strip 20 adjacent the edges thereof 7 at intervals equal to the desired length of blank 10. Roller 29 thus constitutes a positive driving merit of the knife from right to left, as viewed in the drawing, a small amount of liquid paraffin flows to the lower surface of the cutting edge of the knife and a quantity is also deposited on the upper surface of said cutting edge from pad 39. As knife 40 continues its movement in the direction of the arrow and cuts strip 20, the small quantities of liquid paraffin on opposite sides of the cutting edge are deposited on the severed edges of said strip and absorbed thereby to pro vide the impregnated edges M, M (Fig. 2). It will be seen that the adjacent edges of successive blanks are simultaneously impregnated by parafiin carried on knife fill. After each cutting operation, said knife is returned to the illustrated position to pick up additional parafiin from pad 39.

After each blank i0 is severed from strip 28, it is folded or wrapped around a rigid form or mandrel M (Fig. 1) with the wax-impregnated ends M, M overlapping, as best seen in Fig. 2. The overlapped portions of blank I!) are then sealed together by the application of heat and pressure which activates the dry lacquer film previously applied to the blank and presses the same into the interstices of the material, thereby substantially welding the engaging surfaces together at I! to form an impervious longitudinal seam i 6.

It will be seen that the edge It within the coni of waxed paper.

of the fibrous component II is coated with a moisture-proof lacquer and foil layer I2 is inherently non-hygroscopic, the walls of the container will not be affected in any way by moisture and the moisture content of the product or substance within the container will be maintained substantially constant for an indefinite period of time irrespective of climatic conditions, such as pressure, temperature and humidity.

The heat-sealing of seam l6'is accomplished in a novel manner whereby the heat is prevented from marring the glossy lacquer finish or the printed matter on the outer surface of the container, and whereby raw edge l4 may be impregnated or further impregnated with paraflin wax. In the illustrated embodiment, heat and pressure are applied by a sealing iron 42 to the overlapping portions of blank l through a sheet 43 Sheet 43 is preferably supplied on a roll 44, is led beneath two spaced guide rollers 45 and 46, and onto a take-up and drive roller 41 (Fig. 1). Strip 43 is moved intermittently, by some suitable means (not shown),

A small quantity of wax is thus caused to flow to the raw edge l4 and is absorbed thereby. This latter method of impregnating edge l4 may either .be employed alone or supplementary to the method above described for impregnating down against end walls 49 to provide a package having a neat and pleasing appearance.

There is thus provided a novel hermetically sealed container comprising fibrous materials and a method for making the same, said container being so constructed that moisture will not be absorbed from the contents of the container or from the "atmosphere surrounding the container by-the fibrous component of the material from which the container is made. A novel method is also provided for impregnating the raw edge of a blank of fibrous material, said method being adapted to be carried out with facility and at a rapid rate at low cost. Additionally, a method for making containers which includes a novel step whereby any defacing or marring of the outer printed surface of the container by the heated irons employed in making heat-sealed seams or joints is obviated.

Although only a limited number of embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto but that various changes may be made therein, particularly in the design and arrangement of parts and the said edge. Any defacing or marring of the outer 7 surface of the container by iron 42 is also obviated. The sealing iron may be heated to the proper degree by any suitable means, such as an electric heating element 48, the heat of said iron being effective to activate the lacquer film ll between the overlapping ends of blank ill. The activated lacquer is pressed into the interstices of the engaging surfaces by the pressure of iron 42 and substantially welds said surfaces together.

After the formation of seam IS, the resulting tubular body is axially or longitudinally advanced on mandrel 4| until a sufficient marginal portion thereof extends beyond the end of the mandrel to permit the necessary folding thereof to form end walls 49, 49 and the closure seam l8,

IS. The latter is preferably sealed by the applisize and shape of the container illustrated and in the materials specified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will now be understood by those skilled in the art. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference is had primarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A container comprising a tubular body made from a laminated blank having fibrous and foil laminations, the raw edges of said fibrous lamina at opposed ends of said blank being impregnated with a moisture-repellent substance and said ends being overlapped and joined together by a thermoplastic lacquer having adhesive properties.

2. In the container making art, the method which includes adhesively joining a layer of fibrous material to a layer of metallic foil, applying a thermoplastic adhesive to at least a portion of the surface adjacent an edge of the I laminated material thus formed, and impreg- 

